In November 2011 the IC² Institute signed a contract with Ruta N in Medellín, Colombia, to provide technology commercialization training.
With funding from Ruta N, the IC² Institute has launched the Practical Training Program in Commercialization (PTPC) in Medellín. The PTPC has three major components: (1) a three-day investigative visit and short workshop, (2) six weeks of technology commercialization training in Medellín and nine weeks of long-distance assistance training, and (3) a two-week internship at the IC² Institute in Austin for the winning team. Dr. Elsie Echeverri-Carroll is Principal Investigator for the project.
Ruta N is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting science, technology, and innovation to increase the competitiveness of the city of Medellín. It is part of EPM (Empresas Públicas de Medellín), a utility and telecommunications provider and the second-largest Colombian company in terms of income and assets.
Medellín is the first city in Colombia, and probably in Latin America, to have developed a science and technology plan, the Plan CTi. One of the objectives of the Plan CTi is to strengthen technology commercialization in Medellín.